Back to School Organizing Basics

The beginning of the school year brings with it fall weather, a more hectic schedule, and new demands on everyone’s time. While children look forward to a new school year, it can cause chaos in your home. Try a few of these ideas to get organized before school starts, and the transition will be easier.

Organizing tips:

Family Calendar:

I used to watch my neighbor color-code her children’s activities and sports on a large, paper calendar. One color for her daughter, another for her son. It hung on her refrigerator, so everyone knew who needed to be where, and when. The school activities calendar typically fell to moms in those days, but now with shared digital calendars, the school activities calendar can be adjusted and available to everyone. Sharing a calendar with your family keeps everyone going the same direction, from when soccer practice starts, to parent-teacher conferences. Make it even more complete by color-coding each child so that it will be easier to see things at a glance.

Homework Station:

The most important part of getting things straight, right from the start, is preparing a homework station. Whether your child uses the kitchen table, or a desk in his or her room, be sure to have supplies ready and a quiet place to focus. A school supplies caddy is a good idea, as it keeps everything together with little to no effort. If you have children who need their own supplies, purchase one for each child, and either differentiate them by color, or label the container with your child’s name. That way, when homework time starts, more time will be focused on schoolwork, and less on trying to locate all the needed pens and pencils, erasers, and calculators.

After School Snack Bin:

As soon as my kids came through the door after school, they headed right for the refrigerator. If you prefer to have more healthful snacks available, it takes a little more preparation than just opening a bag of potato chips or pretzels. Create a bin of after school snacks that are more nutritious and help them get through homework or after school activities. Or a bin in your cupboard with bags of nuts or dried fruit. Label it “after school snacks” so there is no confusion. Inside your refrigerator, place pre-portioned snacks in a Bento box with pre-cut fruits and veggies, or cheese sticks and yogurt.

A Place to Put Backpacks:

Before the school year begins, talk to your child about the best place to store their backpack after school, whether on a hook or row of hooks, in a cubby, or on the back of a door. Once your child gets home from school, instead of throwing their backpack on the floor next to their dirty sneakers, this gives them a place to unpack. Sometimes half-eaten food from lunch is at the bottom of the backpack amid homework assignments and forms that need to be returned the next day. If you spend just a few minutes going through the backpack together, especially with those in younger grades, there will be less of a panic the following morning.

Take Clothes Inventory Before Going Back-to-School Clothes Shopping:

Is this even a thing anymore? When I was a kid, I waited all summer for back-to-school shopping. I remember buying lots of wool clothing in late August, and then wanting to wear them the first day of school in ninety degree heat. The lesson of this section is to take inventory before you go school shopping for back-to-school clothing. Things from last year probably still fit, and if not, before heading out the door, declutter your child’s closet. Help them figure out what still fits, what needs to be donated, and what can be thrown away. If you can let some things go, there will be a place to store the new items. The same is true of shoes, and any other things you child wears or needs daily.

Create a Car Kit:

Nothing like a mad dash in the morning, only to learn that your child didn’t eat breakfast, or you have papers that need to be signed before dropping them off. Have all the things in your car that eliminate a total meltdown, from something to write with to a granola bar to eat. Having a car caddy with things on-hand, and replacing them when needed, keeps you from having to head back home, write with a crayon that you found under your seat, or enables you to sign the field trip permission slip that needed to be returned earlier in the week. Last minute items make all the difference in a hectic morning, especially if you need to get yourself out the door to work, all at the same time.

Command Central for Forms and Papers:

One of my favorite back to school organization ideas is setting up a Parent In-Box. This is the place for your kids to put permission slips you need to sign, notes from their teacher or homework they want you to check over. Label each child’s file separately so there is no confusion about where things go that need your attention. As you are unpacking your child’s backpack after school, these need to be placed in the parent In-Box, whether you get to them before your child goes to sleep, or after. You always have the following morning to review things during breakfast, or on the ride to school, if you have questions about anything they left for you in the folder.

Meal Prep and Planning Go a Long Way:

The lazy days of summer change overnight as school tightens the weekday schedule, and evenings get busy with homework and activities. Many families find themselves eating dinner later during the school year or reaching for junk or fast food as a last resort. Nutrition is important to learning, and while pizza one night a week eases the cooking load, it’s necessary that children eat well to fuel their brains.

Organize now by doing some simple meal planning or creating freezer meals you can thaw and throw together on busy school nights, when there are a multitude of things pulling for your attention. These meals will save you time and stress. You’ll be thankful to have something quick and nutritionally balanced to serve your family for dinner.

We hope these tips make your school year a little easier right from the start. Please follow our blog for additional ideas as the school year progresses. Have a great year!